The road to a fifth straight win away from Ames – and a 1-0 start in Big 12 play – goes through one of the most prolific sites in all of college football, and coincidentally, a place where the ISU football team has not won since 1977.

Nebraska is unranked despite starting the season 3-0 with wins against Maine, Wake Forest and Pittsburgh, and in the 100th game of the series, the Cyclones (3-0) find themselves at No. 23 in The Associated Press Poll.

Despite its higher ranking, Iowa State enters the game as a 3.5 point underdog.

“Nebraska’s been a tough place for any team to go in and have success in,” said ISU coach Dan McCarney. “It’s not just Iowa State – it’s been a lot of teams through the years.”

Memorial Stadium has given the Cyclones a considerable amount of trouble through the years, and with just less than 80,000 fans anticipated to be in attendance, this year could be the same, especially with the Huskers’ 34-27 loss in Ames last season still very much in their minds.

ISU quarterback Bret Meyer is not a stranger to hostile environments, having taken snaps against Iowa in Kinnick Stadium last season. Meyer said, however, not only did playing in Kinnick last season prepare him for Nebraska, but even Friday’s Michie Stadium crowd in West Point, N.Y. was a good test.

“Any time you’re on the road, noise is going to be a factor, whether it was last week at Army with 20,000 people there. They were loud,” Meyer said. “You just have to keep in mind that during the play they’re not making noise, it’s just before the play. You watch any game, and when the plays on, it’s quiet.

“You just have to focus, pre-snap, go through your silent counts, and things like that. Just get everything organized.”

McCarney said Iowa State’s wins against Illinois State, Iowa and Army were not necessarily pretty, but at least they managed to pull out the victories.

“That’s what good teams have to do; they have to find a way,” he said.

It’s the way the Cyclones have kept finding ways to win that has impressed McCarney.

“Our fourth-quarter performance has been outstanding,” McCarney said. “Look at the points that are scored – it’s 31-6 in the fourth quarter. We’re finding a way to finish the game.”

Despite consistently finding ways to win, McCarney also said the Cyclones have hit the point in their schedule in which they can’t afford to show up in just the fourth quarter. Changes in mindset and motivation, possibly similar to the ones after the team’s scare against Illinois State, will be made before Saturday.

“We really are going to try to improve,” McCarney said. “We have to improve over Friday night’s performance at Army to win this game, but we have fought through some adversity in all three of the games that we’ve played.”

Receiver Todd Blythe said Iowa State must play its most disciplined game if it wants to come away with a win. He said Lincoln’s atmosphere has impressed him, and there is absolutely no room for error.

“It’s going to be a real hostile environment, with all of the fans they have,” Blythe said. “I remember I went to a game there when I was getting recruited, and I was just amazed by all the people who were there, and all the red. It’s definitely going to be a place where we have to come prepared and know what we’re doing.”

When it all boils down, though, McCarney has made it clear the stakes are high, and the game is up for grabs.

“This is 2005, it’s their staff, their team; our staff, our team, and may the best team win,” he said.